


A Hot Car Engine (and Mechanic)

by orphan_account



Category: Karlie Kloss - Fandom, Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Mechanic!Karlie, Rated T for swearing, inspired by a tumblr post, mechanic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:10:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7921768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Taylor knows it, she is unbuttoning the front of her mechanic uniform. Karlie then shrugs off the top half of her gear and ties the sleeves around her waist, leaving her torso in nothing but a sports bra.</p><p>A sports bra that is clinging onto her sweaty skin tightly. Like <i>really</i> tightly.</p><p>"Damn, it's hot." Karlie mutters under her breath.</p><p>
  <i>Oh, yes you are.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Hot Car Engine (and Mechanic)

_Inspired by:[this tumblr post](http://kaylor-galpals.tumblr.com/post/144624141329/)_

 

 

The mechanic wrinkles her nose as she lifts up the hood of the car, releasing a large cloud of steam into the air. "Good thing you brought your car here. Your engine's pretty hot."

"So are you."

The taller girl's cheeks pink at Taylor's statement. She says nothing in response as she turns back to the steaming engine in Taylor's car.

Taylor mentally smacks herself across the face. _Idiot_ , she chides. Of course her big mouth had to blurt her stupid thoughts aloud.

But in her mouth's defence, the mechanic in front of her was absolutely gorgeous.

The mechanic, Karlie, was by far, one of the most beautiful people Taylor had ever seen. She had long honey-coloured hair, legs longer than Taylor's attention span, cheekbones sharp enough to cut a man, a bright grin that could only be described as sunshine... And not mention, captivating green eyes that always seemed to sparkle.

Yep, she was definitely Taylor's type.

If Taylor had seen her in a grocery store or across the street somewhere (not that she'd ever be that lucky in life), she would've immediately assumed Karlie to be a model.

Maybe she's just biased, but with looks like that, it was a fair assumption. Karlie looks like she's destined for the cover of Vogue rather than fixing cars at some automobile repair shop.

But Taylor isn't exactly complaining. _A six feet tall girl wielding a wrench? Sign me up_.

"So, what happened?" Karlie asks, her cheeks still flushed from Taylor's compliment as she examines the complicated machinery in font of her.

"I was driving back home, then all of a sudden, smoke started billowing out from the hood and I drove to the nearest repair shop I could find." Taylor says truthfully. She may or may not have left out the part about her singing along with the radio loudly like a complete loser.

Karlie nods silently, her green eyes fixed on the engine attentively. For some irrational reason, Taylor feels a slight twinge of envy. A small part of her wishes that she could capture Karlie's attention like that.

_What the hell, Taylor? You're jealous of a **car engine**. Pull yourself together._

Karlie states, "There seems to be a leak in your radiator. Most of the coolant has leaked out and due to the lack of it, your car has been overheating. Basically, you're gonna need a new one."

"Miraculously, your engine isn't severely damaged. The overhead camshaft is probably the only thing broken, though." Karlie adds.

Taylor is struck by how Karlie can gather all of that information just by looking at the mechanism underneath the hood of her car. All Taylor can see is a bunch of machinery stuck together. Then again, Karlie is a qualified mechanic and Taylor is just a smitten customer.

Taylor sighs in relief. "Oh, thank god. I was completely convinced that the engine had melted into a puddle."

Karlie lets out a light laugh and something in Taylor's chest tightens. "I can assure you that an engine doesn't melt that quickly."

"So, can you estimate how long it's going to take?"

"Probably several hours or half a day. But we're closed for the rest of the day and we've got lots of cars to fix, so your car will be done sometime this week."

_An excuse to see her again. Perfect._

Karlie continues, "The radiator replacement is gonna be a few hundred dollars and the camshaft is gonna be around seven hundred dollars. So, the total's probably going to cost about a little over a thousand dollars."

Taylor supposes that she could wander around several other automobile repair shops for slighter better prices but, honestly, she'd even sell her cat to have an excuse to see Karlie.

After some more necessary information and numbers, Taylor realises that she no longer has transportation to get home. Aside from her legs, of course. _I guess this is going to make up for all those times I skipped the gym_.

Karlie seems to notice this. "Do you need help getting home? I can call you a taxi."

"Oh no, it's okay, I only live a few blocks away." _Should I casually tell her where I live and invite her over?_

"Really? Me, too! I'll give you a ride!"

Karlie's offer is definitely tempting but Taylor has never liked the idea of burdening people.

She begins to decline her offer. "Oh, uh, thanks for the offer but it's okay. I don't want to be a bother-"

"Nonsense. I insist! It's not safe for anyone to be roaming around the streets all alone in the dark." Karlie says. "Besides, I wouldn't mind getting to know you better."

Taylor's mind changes instantly. "Oh, okay then."

The journey back home is pleasant. Taylor is amazed by how easy it is to talk to Karlie, like as if they'd known each other for years. They end up telling each other stories. She tells Taylor about her sisters and their favourite Christmas movies, about how the repair shop was a family business, about her pet dog Joe, and about her undying love for cookies.

Taylor, in return, tells her about her cats, her passion for music, the embarrassing glue-gun scar on her thigh, and her love for baking cookies. They even end up joking about baking together some day and Taylor thinks that the day might actually come.

 

* * *

 

" _GET OUTTA THE ROAD, YER FUCKIN' DICK NUGGET!_ " The cabbie bellows out the window, sending the man opposite him a rude hand gesture.

Taylor shuts her eyes with a grimace. It's been the fourth insult that Taylor's ears have had the opportunity to be graced with since she's been inside his cab. The entire ride has been anything but enjoyable and she is ready to hop out of the taxicab at any given moment. She now wishes that she'd rejected her friends' invitation to the movies and had spent her day at the repair shop instead.

It has been exactly 15 hours, 47 minutes and 26 seconds since Taylor has last seen Karlie Kloss (and technically, her car but that doesn't really matter). She has been dropping by the workshop after hours for the past few days with handfuls of reasons; claiming that she'd left her keys in her car, that she was in the neighbourhood and the likes. When in reality, they were all made up excuses just for her to see Karlie.

Even though they've been chatting almost daily, Taylor still hasn't had the courage to ask for Karlie's number yet. She's been acting tremendously slow on the 'Asking Karlie Out' project. Hell, she isn't even sure if Karlie likes girls, too. It's been heavily implied throughout some of their conversations but Taylor isn't a hundred percent sure.

_So much for getting to know each other._

A deafening honk rattles her out of her thoughts. " _LEARN TA DRIVE, YER BUTTER-FUCKER!_ " The taxicab driver snarls.

Taylor is at the brink of insanity. Her eyes are watery from the cigar smoke-filled car, her ears are sore from the constant honking and obscenities, she's getting more and more irritable by the second, and she is _really_ starting to miss her car.

Just as Taylor is about to throw herself out of the cab and begin walking to her destination instead, her phone starts vibrating in her pocket.

It is an unknown number but she answers it anyway.

"Hello, is this Miss Taylor Swift?" The speaker's voice is familiar.

"Yes," Taylor says, slow with caution.

"Ah, Taylor! It's Karlie from Kloss' Mechanics. Sorry to bother you, but I just called to inform that your car has been completely repaired and it's ready to returned."

Upon hearing Karlie's voice, a wide smile replaces the grimace on Taylor's  face. She can feel her heartbeat slowly picking up. "Oh great, I'll come over."

"You don't have to come straightaway, though. You can come by tomorrow if you're busy right now."

"Nah, I'll be there. I'm currently in the neighbourhood." Taylor says. _Lie. You're thirty minutes away from the workshop_.

"Great. I'll see you soon." Karlie says cheerfully before bidding her goodbye.

Taylor lightly taps at the partition separating her from the cabbie for his attention and politely requests for him drive her to the repair shop.

A frown makes its way onto his pudgy face. "Ya've gotta be kiddin' me. I practically have to make a U-Turn and go exactly back to where we came from, blondie." Thankfully, his words lack the aggression he'd possessed earlier.

Taylor suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. "And I'll give you a ten dollar tip if you can get me there in thirty minutes." _A pissy cabbie isn't going to stop me from seeing Karlie._

Gnawing at the end of his cigar, the cabbie shrugs. "Eh, fine."

She sends her friend, Selena, a quick text.

" _ **To: Selena**  
Hi. I'll be like 20 minutes late to the cinema. Tell the others and don't wait for me. Gonna get my car from the super nice and cute mechanic I told you guys about the other day. Please don't kill me._ "

Taylor receives a reply almost immediately.

" _ **From: Selena**  
Ugh fine. We're only letting you off because you obviously fancy her. You better get laid or we will decapitate you. We also expect details. Good luck._ "

Taylor rolls her eyes. _Well, Karlie probably doesn't want to date me so I guess I'm going to lose my head._

 

* * *

 

"Alright, missy. Here we are." The cabbie announces through a thick puff of cigar smoke.

Taylor pays her fare quickly and, as promised, hands the man a ten dollar tip. She then exits the car and makes her way to the repair shop, relieved that she no longer has to breathe in cigar smoke.

"Hello!" Karlie greets with a zealous grin, simultaneously melting Taylor's heart without even knowing.

Taylor sends her a quick wave and briskly walks towards her, her smile equally as broad. " _It's me_." She jokes.

Luckily, Karlie laughs at her joke instead of throwing a hammer at her. Taylor can't help but feel a bit of pride for herself. _Good job, Taylor. It's an overused joke but you made her laugh anyway_.

Karlie's hands are busy with an engine when she says, "I'd wave back but I'm kind of stuck in all this machinery right now. Everyone else is gone so you'll have to wait for a bit before you can get your car. I'm sorry but I can't leave this alone right now or it might explode." 

Taylor waves her off. "Don't worry, take your time. I'm not in a rush." Somewhere, miles and miles away, Taylor's friends are scowling at her tardiness and shaking their fists in fury.

She shoots Taylor a grateful smile. "I'll be quick, I promise. You can take a seat if you like." She nods towards the wooden stool by the side.

Somewhat awkwardly, Taylor sits on the stool and watches Karlie as she works. She'd start up a conversation but she supposes that it wouldn't help the mechanic concentrate on fixing whatever she was fixing. With nothing to do, Taylor takes the opportunity to appreciate the sight of Karlie.

Minutes of repairing pass before Karlie straightens herself with a long sigh. She wipes the sweat off her brow with the sleeve of her getup, simultaneously smearing a black smudge onto her forehead by accident. Before Taylor knows it, she is unbuttoning the front of her mechanic uniform. Karlie then shrugs off the top half of her gear and ties the sleeves around her waist, leaving her torso in nothing but a sports bra.

A sports bra that is clinging onto her sweaty skin tightly. Like _really_ tightly.

Taylor feels her throat getting dry, whereas another part of her was doing the exact opposite.

"Damn, it's hot." Karlie mutters under her breath.

_Oh, yes you are._

Taylor quickly wipes her sweaty hands against the denim of her jeans and diverts her gaze from her. She crosses her fingers and hopes that Karlie hadn't caught her staring.

She frantically begins scanning the entire garage, desperately looking for something to distract her thoughts from the mechanic. She eventually ends up watching Karlie tightening a screw with a screwdriver.

This is soon proven as ineffective when Taylor finds herself gazing longingly at Karlie's skilful hands as she screws the fastener into the chunk of metal. _I wish I could be as fortunate as that screw_.

Karlie takes a step back and stares proudly at her handiwork. "All done!" She grins and stretches her arms.

Taylor tries not to stare at her shiny muscles. Especially not her glistening abdomen.

"Again, I'm sorry for the wait. I'll go get your keys. I'll be right back." Karlie says with a wink. Taylor is surprised that there's still oxygen in her own lungs.

After Taylor has claimed back her keys and paid ("I knocked off some cash because you're cute and you amuse me," Karlie had said. Taylor, on the other hand, had blushed profusely), she clears her throat. "Well then, um, I think I'm just gonna go..." _And take a damn cold shower._

"Bye, Taylor! I'll see you again." Karlie says with a wide smile, waving.

Her car is completely repaired and has even been cleaned. Taylor is almost tempted to damage her car again, just so that she'd get an excuse to see Karlie again. Almost.

Perusing her receipt once more, she notices a something scribbled onto the corner of the paper in cramped, neat handwriting.

" _(646-250-1989)- Karlie Kloss. Call me_ "

Taylor doesn't bother contemplating before saving the numbers into her phone.

**Author's Note:**

> (To the anon who sent a fic request: it's currently being written :) )
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> I'm on tumblr: pieceofkaylortrash.tumblr.com


End file.
